Mercedes-Benz GLC Earns Top Safety Pick+

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named the 2017-2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC luxury SUV a Top Safety Pick+ award winner, the institute said.

To qualify for the award, the GLC drew the highest possible rating of “good” in all IIHS crashworthiness tests. Additionally, the vehicle drew a rating of “superior” for its standard front crash prevention system and ratings of “good” and “acceptable” for available headlights.

This is the first time the GLC, introduced in the 2016 model year, has undergone all IIHS evaluations.

To earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, a vehicle must garner “good” ratings in all five crashworthiness tests — small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints. The vehicle also must earn an “advanced” or “superior” rating for front crash prevention and an “acceptable” or “good” rating for headlights.

(To view video footage of the small overlap front crash test, click on the photo or link below the headline.)

The GLC comes with a standard front crash prevention system that drew a “superior” rating. The vehicle avoided collisions in IIHS track tests at 12 mph and 25 mph, IIHS said.

The optional curve-adaptive LED headlights drew a “good” rating. The optional static LED headlights were rated as “acceptable.” The base halogen headlights, however, drew a rating of “marginal,” according to IIHS.